Trigun: The Aftermath
by mermaidfreak
Summary: He finally did it. Vash has succeeded in fulfilling Rem's final wish. And her final words. "Take care of Knives!" But... what happens to the 60,000,000,000.00 man after he has laid his brother to rest? And what of his friends?


Meryl could not believe what she was hearing. The cruel jokes and threats about Vash were almost too much to bear.

"I bet he is DYING to kill again! You can't fix a vigilante!"

She slammed her water down on the table then shifted her eyes towards the men with anger and disgust. Despite her petite appearance, she could handle herself very well.

"All talk and no action..." She said as her eyes stayed focused on the ignorant pigs. One man with a long brown beard stood up and walked towards her.

"Wish we could have a piece of that guy. He deserves to be punished for his crimes!"

"No one deserves the right to take the life of another. Even so, he wouldn't waste his time with you."

"Why, you...! How DARE you talk to me like that!"

He raised his hand, ready to strike her. As the man's hand came down, she grabs a hold of it and held it very still. His eyes popped wide open as she glared.

"I may look weak, but -"

Suddenly, there was a loud crash outside the saloon. The doors swung open, and a man in some alien-type armor stood in the doorway. He saw Meryl and yelled,

"I FOUND YOU!"

She was puzzled at first, but recognized him in a matter of seconds. There he was; Vash the Stampede.

_After all of this time... you finally came back...but for what..?_

The bearded man shook in fear and hollered,

"Everybody, run! It's VASH!"

Villagers were screaming and horses were startled. In the blink of an eye, everyone that lived in that small town vanished. The blonde man blinked for a few seconds and sighed. He should have known everything would still be the same as it was, even though he felt different. Rem was gone; It was his time to choose his own path now that Knives was taken care of. Why did he come back here? There was no place for a vigilante. So why now? Why here? These questions ran through his mind in a matter of seconds. Vash looks over at Meryl with a smile on his face, and remembers why he came back. _For her... _He walked over to the bar to pour himself a shot of Jack. Takes the shot and looks at her.

"So... how is everything going?"

For some reason, Meryl was surprised that he would ask such a question. After all this time... What did she want to say? What was she going to say? Her lips parted, and she felt like she was reading from a script.

"Oh, same old! Milly is working with the boys while I report in every now and then! But there wasn't much to talk about while you were gone... But, now that you are back, I have a GREAT report for them!"

"Didn't think I would come back, huh?"

She felt a sudden glow on her face, turning red. This feeling was unlike anything she has ever experience. Vash the Stampede... every time she observed his actions, she couldn't help but sense something hidden deep within him, something no one could begin to understand. But every person that has come in contact with him has somehow regained an emotion which was once lost. Meryl could not help the fact that even though he was a complete fool, she was hopelessly devoted to him. No matter how many times she tried forcing herself to stop, she fell in love. She looked at him with wide eyes, and replied,

" No, that's not it.."

"Then... what did you think?"

She could no longer help herself. One second she was sitting in her chair, the next she was throwing herself into his arms. Vash blinked with surprise as Meryl clinged to him. It was unexpected because as long as he has know this woman, she has never showed any kind of intimacy towards him.

"...So. I guess you took care of him, then?" Looking at the ground, he murmured,

"Yes. It is over."

"How do you...feel?"

As he continued to look at the ground, he thought about that question. Nobody really has ever asked him how HE was feeling besides Rem. That brought some comfort, knowing someone cared. No, not just someone. _Her_.

"I feel like I can do anything now. It's time to listen to my advice from here on out. I can live my own dream."

_Now I should tell him..._

As Meryl lifted her head from his chest, she went from absolute bliss to aggravated with a hint of anger. There he was, pulling at her face and spitting out laughter.

"Bwahahahahaha! Enough of this boring talk! Let us go forth and buy delicious donuts and BEER! And when I say we buy, I mean you buy because obviously, I am broke! Mwahaha!"

"WHAT?! There is no way in HELL I am buying you ANYTHING, you droopy-eyed, weak-looking, bristle-headed, promiscuous-looking donut freak of a man! UGH!"

She took her boot and stomped over him and she walked out of the saloon. He cried out in agony, whining like a little kid.

"Heyyyy you can't just leave me here!"

Grinning, he followed Meryl outside and crept up behind her. He grabbed her hand and kept walking with a smile on his face. Fortunately, she did not mind. As irritating as he was, she accepted his weird behavior. It was hard for her to believe after all of the loss and misery he has been through, Vash the Stampede was smiling. How can someone with so much pain in his heart still go on? All of the sudden, she remembered one very important word Milly kept repeating to her. **Hope**.

_And I guess that is enough._

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**Please review! This is my first fanfic, so be gentle! ^-^ Thank you for stopping by and reading! Mwah! 3**


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